News Release

'Heli-mulching' Project Planned for Noble Fire Stabilization

Crews from the Bureau of Land Management will be working on a week-long project to stabilize fire-scarred hillsides near Platina next week. There will be short traffic delays on Highway 36 while a helicopter passes over the road with sling loads of straw.

The project is set to start Monday, Oct. 6 and will last five to seven days.

The helicopter will fly loads of rice straw into Beegam Gorge where crews will spread it on the ground to help prevent erosion during the rainy season, said Kristi Ralston, fire and fuels specialist for the BLM Redding Field Office.

"Some areas of Beegam Gorge were severely burned during the Noble Fire, and in some areas almost all vegetation was removed," Ralston said. "The project is designed to stabilize soils to limit silt flow into Cottonwood Creek which provides important habitat for salmon and steelhead."